Water in VP DP-G outdrive

[About Time]

Hi,

I am just winterizing my boat and found that water has come into one of my DP-G outdrives. I pulled the drive off to make sure water did not enter through the bellow…. The Universal Joint bellow was completely dry so UJ is fine. Hereafter I opened the drain plug and oil did not ran out until I slowly opened the oil stick in the top of the drive which I take as a good sign as it confirmed drive was still able to hold some pressure. I took out 0.15-0.20 liter of milky oil and then it started to come out clear and normal so I put in again the drain plug to let the remaining 'good oil' stay inside. I plan to bring it to a marine shop to empty the drive, do the pressure/ vacuum test, change the required seals and top of with new Volvo Penta 75/140 outdrive oil. Meanwhile the shop is very busy these days so I am wondering if I should drop all the old oil and fill it with some good oil until the shop has time to help me…. They can look at it in 3-4 weeks. I am just a little hesitant to fill it with Volvos pricy 75/140 outdrive oil (35 Euros each liter x 3 liters = EUR 100,-) and just throw it out in 3-4 weeks…. Will any cheaper oil do the conservation job for me … or should I not worry and do nothing for the next month ?

Thanks your advice in advance.

 

[petem]

Any idea how the oil got in there? Worn shafts perhaps?

 

[luptonj]

I would think it best to keep the oil topped up.
Just top up with any oil that matches the spec, if the volvo oil has anything special in there, it'll make no difference for a few weeks when it's not being used.

 

[About Time]

Any idea how the oil got in there? Worn shafts perhaps?

Since it did not come in with the UJ I guess two possibilities … a bad shaft seal or a bad shifter seal.

As per Luptonj. I will top of the oil with a cheap 75/140 gear oil and have them drain all once they will repair the drive. Good idea.

 

[petem]

Since it did not come in with the UJ I guess two possibilities … a bad shaft seal or a bad shifter seal.

As per Luptonj. I will top of the oil with a cheap 75/140 gear oil and have them drain all once they will repair the drive. Good idea.

I'd ask them to take a look at the shafts too as they can get a groove worn into them and will leak even with a new seal. There are a few people who can repair the shafts in the UK (by welding the grooves an machining flat) otherwise you are in for big €€€ for new VP ones (check both sides).

 

[About Time]

I'd ask them to take a look at the shafts too as they can get a groove worn into them and will leak even with a new seal. There are a few people who can repair the shafts in the UK (by welding the grooves an machining flat) otherwise you are in for big €€€ for new VP ones (check both sides).

…. not nice to hear that … a groove worn into the shaft. I guess we will see once the old seal is taken off….. Can you tell me the company who can weld the groove in case this is my issue ? Thanks in advance.

 

[spannerman]

When I find oil in VP drives which is not unusual I change both shaft and shifter seals as its not a big job and you have peace of mind until the next time! The most common cause is fishing line or sea grass winding in past the shaft seals. If there is a groove on the shaft then I fit the new seals either a bit further in or out as there is some leeway and this will get you back on the water without having to buy a new shaft(s). Its imperative to check the teeth on the small gear at the bottom of the vertical shaft in the lower section as I have seen many with damage as all the torque is ultimately transmitted via these few teeth to the two larger gears and it tends to give up first if it doesn’t get enough lubrication due to contaminated oil. Hopefully yours will be OK.

 

[About Time]

Thanks Spannerman. Very good post. I will give this info to my repair guy.

 

[About Time]

Another thing....Maybe I should open a new post but I guess the cause could be due to water in the drive oil .... I noticed a 1-2 sec. delay in engaging forward gear last part of the season. I was thinking it was a small adjustment on the outdrive shifter but maybe it is more likely due to the water in the oil ?... any suggestions (what to look for) as the drive is now off the boat. Drive has done 750 hours and every year well serviced.

 

[vptech]

The time delay will just be the old gear cables they become rusty over time and the actuator takes longer to shift it, listen for the noise when the engines are not running. It makes a long whining noise when they are old.

 

[About Time]

The time delay will just be the old gear cables they become rusty over time and the actuator takes longer to shift it, listen for the noise when the engines are not running. It makes a long whining noise when they are old.

Hi,

Thanks for the info … so off for a new cable… but it seems out of production… See item 40 on this photo:
https://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-spraengskitse-7744570-44-5110.aspx
Anyone knows what to do ? - Any replacement part from a competitor that will do the job ?

 

[vptech]

You need to remove the drive to do this. It’s not out of production the Volvo epc lists the superseded part number. But you can get other brands it’s all the same stuff. I think they are standard 1.5 m like the dph drives. But you need to check it. But before you do that it’s best to check that it is the part at fault and there’s no issues on the kad 300’s basic can network. You can never diagnose properly over the internet. But the long and the short is if the cable is old the actuator is slow, it sometimes throws a ‘abnormal update rate’ code on the Vodia with the new engines

 

[About Time]

You need to remove the drive to do this. It’s not out of production the Volvo epc lists the superseded part number. But you can get other brands it’s all the same stuff. I think they are standard 1.5 m like the dph drives. But you need to check it. But before you do that it’s best to check that it is the part at fault and there’s no issues on the kad 300’s basic can network. You can never diagnose properly over the internet. But the long and the short is if the cable is old the actuator is slow, it sometimes throws a ‘abnormal update rate’ code on the Vodia with the new engines

Great. I will check.